Harlem Globetrotters welcome female player

This season, the Globetrotters are inviting fans to set the game's guidelines as part of the You Write the Rules Tour. Options up for a vote at www.harlemglobetrotters.com/rule include two-ball basketball, double points, 4-point shot, a penalty box, or six-on-five basketball.

That’s the thought that was going through Tammy “T-Time” Brawner’s head the first time she saw the legendary Harlem Globetrotters in action.

Brawner was about 10, either in third or fourth grade, when she first saw the team that would later change her life.

“I don’t remember a particular person, but I remember being in awe of what they were doing with the ball,” Brawner said.

“I was in such awe. I didn’t think it was real,” she said. “I thought they had to have had some kind of tool helping them do that or something.”

But now Brawner knows exactly what it takes to be a Globetrotter.

She’s one of the rookie class of 2013, only the 10th woman to join the historic squad.

The Globetrotters — sans Brawner, who’ll be playing elsewhere — will be bouncing back into Amarillo for an exhibition game at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, in the Amarillo Civic Center Cal Farley Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.

Brawner played college ball at Dominican University, drawing the Globetrotters’ attention.

“They called me in for a workout ... against all men,” she said. “They liked what they seen, and the rest is history from there.”

Though she still has fond memories of seeing the team play when she was younger, she never thought she would be joining the squad herself.

“There haven’t been many women, so I just never imagined it, but it’s such an honor.”

She’s not worried about holding her own, either.

“Girls are just as competitive as guys, so it’s not any different,” she said. “Some things about our body structure is different, so we don’t have the speed, the ability to jump (as high).

“The guys are incredible athletes, so just playing with them is challenging. Everything we’re doing in practice, they’re going to come straight at me. They don’t treat me any different.”

Teammate “Slick” Willie Shaw sure doesn’t.

“It’s my first time ever playing with a female, but it’s like no difference,” Shaw said.

“She does things on the court that make me stand up and go, ‘Wow!’”

It’s in practices that Brawner sees the secret behind the magic.

“We’re constantly being innovative,” she said.

“Sometimes a teammate still comes up to me and says, ‘I’ve got something new,’ and it’s like, whoa. I’m still a fan, even though I’m a part of the team.”

For her part, Brawner concentrates on her ball-handling skills: “I do a few crafty things with the ball, putting it on my arms and shoulders — things that are fun for the fans.”

The fans, in fact, have played a larger part in the team’s current tour than normal.

“This year is the You Write the Rules tour,” Brawner said.

“The fans get to write the rules. ... We never know what they’re going to pick for each quarter.”

Visitors to www.harlemglobetrotters.com/rule can pick between five options for Thursday’s game: two-ball basketball, double points, 4-point shot, a penalty box, or six-on-five basketball not in the Globetrotters’ favor.

“Being on the edge of what to expect is really, really fun,” Brawner said.

Shaw said he enjoys the challenge.

“It shows our basketball wizardry and separates us from every other team,” he said. “No other team plays with two basketballs at the same time.”

And, echoing Brawner, Shaw said the team’s secret is in constant practice.

“It’s a couple of hours a day, and we play every day,” Shaw said. “If you do something every day, you have no choice but to get better at it, especially if you love what you do.”

Brawner said she certainly loves what she’s doing.

“It’s truly an honor,” she said. “You really see the impact and inspiration you have on younger girls.

“I get fan mail (that says) ‘You can go out and play with the guys. I can go out and do it too someday.’